UZWIL, SWITZERLAND — Bühler has reached another step in its insect production and processing capabilities with a unique larvae storage system that decouples insect rearing from processing, providing flexibility in the operational schedule.

Last year, after four years of close collaboration, Bühler reached the major milestone with one of its partners, Protix, as its fully automated industrial black soldier fly processing plant in Bergen Op Zoom in North Brabant, Netherlands, reached its full processing capacity. This marks a proof point in the insect industry and the successful completion of the joint venture between Bühler and Protix.

“We congratulate Kees Aarts and his team at Protix on the extraordinary achievement of their insect protein facility,” said Ian Roberts, chief technology officer at Bühler. “To be the pioneer in an industry is a challenging role, and to be the first to deliver a commercially viable, large-scale insect plant is a significant step on their ambitious journey. We extend our sincere thanks to Kees and his team for this collaboration.”

 Insect-based ingredients can offer a new category of nutrition for the food system, but it will require a total ecosystem approach with multiple parties collaborating, said Kees Aarts, chief executive officer and founder of Protix.

“At Protix we work with multiple parties to advance the advent of sustainable nutrition enabling a food system in balance with nature,” he said. “The collaboration with Bühler is a strong example of that. We will further support the growth of the industry and are convinced that further collaborations are needed to achieve important milestones on our journey.”

Bühler provides technology solutions for the growth and processing of insects to enable industrial-scale transformation of organic residues into high-value insect-based ingredients.